Apple TV Gets History Channel, Lifetime And A&E Channels

There’s been a marked increase in the number of channels and streams added to Apple TV during the past few months, and today, those already tethered to subscriptions of The History Channel, A&E and Lifetime can enjoy these channels on their Apple-branded set-top.

Nowadays, when it comes to Apple TV, the Cupertino company means business. The days when the little black box was regarded as a “hobby” are long gone, and thanks to the recent spate of deals, Apple TV is now teeming with content. The three new services are now being rolled out to users far and wide, although in order to enjoy The History Channel, A&E or Lifetime, you will need to be subbed in advance, which somewhat makes sense. Nothing is absolutely free these days, after all.

Still, if you like your reality TV / factual drama, then you’ll surely be stoked to see that Apple has acquired the services of three major new networks, which is just the latest in a concerted push to render Apple TV a legitimate force in the set-top arena.

Since the Google Chromecast, which seemed to kick the market into taking an unprecedented course of competitive action, we’ve seen the likes of Roku and Amazon release new, exciting-looking devices into this crowded space, and although Apple TV has been knocking around for a few years, it’s only during recent times that its maker has decided to try and take things to the next level.

There have been rumors that a new, upgraded Apple TV model would be forthcoming, but with speculation also touting two new iPhones, an iPad Pro, more MacBook upgrades and that elusive iWatch, one has to wonder just how much time the Cupertino firm can dedicate to Apple TV.

Still, until this alleged new, gaming-supporting hardware manifests itself, we’re left to make do with the intermittent content updates that keep finding their way to the streaming gadget.

As well as adding new channels every couple of weeks, Apple also rolled out a software update to Apple TV amid the release of iOS 7.1. In case you missed the release of firmware version 6.1, you may wish to refer back to our coverage, which details the new features including the ability to hide unwanted channels situated on the main menu.

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